Commissioners to interview applicants for District 2 seat on Tuesday

aspendailynews.com · Feb 17, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Pitkin County’s newest District 2 commissioner will get sworn in March 3 on the steps of the county courthouse. But first, the Board of County Commissioners has to pick from a pool of nine eligible applicants for the seat. Aspen Daily News file Appointed seats on elected boards don’t come around often. But when the opportunity arises, competition can be stiff. Pitkin County received 14 applications for Kelly McNicholas Kury’s now-vacant District 2 seat on the Board of County Commissioners, according to a staff memo. Three didn’t meet requirements for consideration; two withdrew their applications. That still leaves nine eligible prospects, more than the number of candidates you’d find in most local elections. The four remaining commissioners will interview the applicants during a work session today, a process for which they’ve carved out most of the afternoon. (McNicholas Kury’s resignation took effect Monday, as she’s starting a new job as city manager of Montpelier, Vermont.)The applicant lineup: Meaghan Rubey, Max Ben-Hamoo, Ted Mahon, Scot Woolley, Andorra Ronay, Tom Egan, Katy Frisch, Emily Kolbe and Charlie Tarver. All of the eligible applicants listed at least a decade of history in the county (only one year of residency is actually required for the position). Many of them have served on volunteer boards and commissions. And most are already public figures from their involvement in local civics, recreation and business. Katy Frisch ran for Aspen mayor last year, served one term on the Aspen School District, and is married to two-time congressional candidate and former Aspen council member Adam Frisch. Emily Kolbe ran unsuccessfully for Aspen City Council last year, as did Scot Woolley. Charlie Tarver, known for his role in the cycling community and his wardrobe of pink clothing, ran for Aspen mayor back in 2001. Andorra Ronay, meanwhile, is acquainted with local politics from behind the scenes. She’s the technical director of Community Government Television, also known as CGTV, which broadcasts the proceedings of some local governmental entities (such as the BOCC) and is managed by Grassroots TV. Meaghan Rubey is the founder of the Rubey Rescue Run, a nonprofit which benefits the Friends of the Aspen Animal Shelter, and she shares a name with the Rubey Park Transit Center downtown; she married into the family that conveyed the land to the city. Max Ben-Hamoo is the son of Shlomo Ben-Hamoo, of Shlomo’s Deli fame, where Max cut his teeth in hospitality throughout different iterations of the restaurant. (He’s held positions in other fields, too, and is now general manager of Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge.)Ted Mahon, a ski instructor, endurance athlete and mountain guide, was a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year with his wife Christy and friend Chris Davenport, an honor that recognized their climb-and-ski missions on Colorado’s 100 highest peaks. Tom Egan’s name (and voice) should ring familiar for radio listeners: He’s been on the air for KDNK, Aspen Public Radio, KSNO and KSPN over several decades, among other jobs, and currently works at the Pitkin County Library. Although they differ in some of their opinions and approach, many of these candidates listed in their applications a similar shortlist of near-term issues for county commissioners. Housing, traffic and transportation, climate and environment, and affordability come up a lot. So do major infrastructure projects like the county’s airport modernization effort, involving both the runway and a new terminal, and the Entrance to Aspen. The city has been more in the driver’s seat on the latter, but it’ll still affect most of the county’s residents and workforce. Several candidates also noted the uncertainty around federal funding: The county has had to adapt to meet local needs as those cuts affected different services and programs. Wildfire, water and public lands earned repeat mentions as well. Another common thread in these applications? Not just a commitment to the wellbeing of Pitkin County, but a belief that local government is the place where citizens can make real change. Chris Menges, who was included in the applicant list last week but has withdrawn his name from consideration this time around, described a sentiment shared by multiple people in his application: “Counties can lead on consequential issues while still staying grounded in community voice and implementation.”Four of the applicants are self-identified Democrats: Tarver, Frisch, Rubey and Mahon. None are Republicans. All the rest indicated they were unaffiliated with either party. Applicants for this vacant seat will skip the door-knocking and ballot counts of a regular election season. The appointment process runs more like applying for a job, with four commissioners deciding who gets the seat.But the public can still weigh in by submitting comments before commissioners finalize their appointment. After the board approves a resolution for the appointment, the newest District 2 commissioner will be sworn in on March 3 and will serve about 10 months, according to a memo from county staff. The seat’s next four-year term, starting in 2027, is up for grabs in this year’s election cycle. Rubey and Mahon have already filed their paperwork to run for that as well. District 1, on the same cycle, already has three candidates: Former Aspen Mayor Torre, current Aspen City Councilman John Doyle and former Pitkin County Commissioner Rob Ittner, who held the seat from 2011 to 2015. Torre is unaffiliated with either political party; Doyle and Ittner have identified as Democrats (In Ittner’s previous runs for BOCC, he was officially listed as “unaffiliated.”) Current District 1 representative Patti Clapper has reached her term limit. A June primary will narrow the field to two candidates, where applicable, before the general election in November. More information is available at pitkinvotes.com.